$100 turkey worth it for some

Friday

Nov 16, 2012 at 12:01 AM

The turkeys raised in Samsula are heritage turkeys, which more closely resemble wild turkeys than commercially available ones.

SKYLER SWISHERSTAFF WRITER

SAMSULA — It's hard out there for a turkey, especially when the holidays arrive. The birds are slaughtered on a massive scale. Americans will gobble up more than 46 million of them on Thanksgiving alone. But Elizabeth Nevadomski, 31, is taking a different approach to holiday meals at Living Roots Nursery and Farm off State Road 44 in Samsula — one in which turkeys enjoy a cage-free lifestyle for eight precious months. Customers are even encouraged to stop by and interact with their bird while it is being raised. The whole idea is to show turkeys aren't just frozen balls that grow in supermarket freezers. They are living creatures. At Nevadomski's farm this week, the birds scuttled toward visitors and gobbled. They looked up with wide eyes in anticipation of a handful of food. "Some people think it's cool," Nevadomski said. "Some people freak out with the idea of it. The amount of people who don't know what a turkey looks like is unbelievable." Not much turkey production happens locally, said David Griffis, director of the University of Florida's agricultural extension office in Volusia County. Birds are raised on a limited number of small farms. Christina Antinori, 32, a New Smyrna Beach resident, saw her Thanksgiving bird frolicking on Nevadomski's farm. She's buying three turkeys — two of which she will serve to relatives and friends on Thanksgiving. She will freeze the other for later. Nevadomski's birds aren't cheap compared to a traditional turkey. They cost $7 a pound, coming to about $112 for a 16-pound bird. A supermarket turkey typically runs $1.39 a pound, or $22.24 for a 16-pounder.But for Antinori, it's worth paying extra to know her turkey was allowed to spend time outdoors and is free of antibiotics."The way I see it, you are what you eat," Antinori said. "It puts you in the mindset to be less wasteful and appreciate it more." Nevadomski's turkeys are different than what you'd find in the supermarket. She raises heritage turkeys, which more closely resemble wild turkeys than commercially available ones. Supermarkets carry broad-breasted whites, which have been selectively bred to have more white meat and bigger breasts. The industrial birds grow much faster than heritage turkeys. Their breasts are so large and cumbersome they can't reproduce naturally and are unable to fly. Nevadomski, who runs a booth at the New Smyrna Beach farmers market, started signing people up to purchase the turkeys at the start of the year. She bought 34 turkeys while they were still babies. She kept them warm under heat lamps and nourished them on a special feed. During the day, the birds could roam, but at night, Nevadomski kept the turkeys in a coop to protect them from predators. On Wednesday, she delivered them to a meat processing facility after spending eight months raising them. Customers will pick up their birds early next week. The birds are only available to people who signed up at the beginning of the year. She also grows vegetables and raises more than 200 chickens on her 3 1/2-acre farm.Varieties of turkeys like those being raised by Nevadomski were pushed into endangered status as a result of the overwhelming popularity of the broad-breasted white, but environmentally minded consumers have sparked a resurgence in heritage turkeys. The birds are described as having more dark meat and a gamier flavor than their supermarket cousins. The turkey industry defends its conventionally produced birds, saying they are safe to eat and offer bountiful white meat at a better price for consumers who are already struggling with tight household budgets. "It has the strongest vote of confidence," said Joel Brandenberger, president of the National Turkey Federation. "Americans love white meat. It is by far the most popular cut." More eaters want to know where their food is coming from and how it is produced, said Michele Salgado, owner of the Spanish River Grill. The New Smyrna Beach restaurant purchases most of its ingredients from local growers. A wave of documentaries, articles and books questioning the sustainability of the nation's industrial food system has sparked a movement, Salgado said. Salgado purchased two turkeys for her Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. She saw the birds during a visit to Nevadomski's farm and enjoyed seeing her Thanksgiving bird walking around."He's happy and relaxed," Salgado said. "I think you can taste the difference in that. It's a stress-free bird." As for next year, Nevadomski will review how sales went before deciding to offer the birds again. One thing's for sure, though. She's not planning on selling the farm. "I can't do the office thing," said Nevadomski, a graduate of Stetson University's business school. "I like it outside."